Conveyer and elevator for reaping and binding machines.



No. 656,ll2. Patented Aug. l4, I900. T. HANRAHAN.

CONVEYER AND ELEVATOR FOB REAPING AND BINDING MACHINES.

(Application filed Dec. 22, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

7671 6 I I J ,ZZrenf/Z m: Noam: PETERS co, Pnoruun o" WASHING'ION, o. c.

Patented Aug. l4, I900." T. HANRAHAN.

(Application filed Doc. 22, 1899.)

, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.,

I P 6 f m No. 656,ll2.

CONVE Y'ER AND ELEVATDRFOB REAPING AND BINDING MACHINE- 8.-

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES,

' PATENT 'FFIcE.

THOMAS HANRAHAN, OF BUNGAREE, VICTORIA.

CONVEYER AND ELEVATOR FOR REAPING AND BINDING MACHINES.

' SBECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,112, dated August14, 1900. Application filed December 22,1899. Serial No. 74 11 (N0 modemTo aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, TH'oM'As HANRAH'AN, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and lieland, residing at Bungaree, in -the Colony of Victoria,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oonveyers andElevators for Reaping and Binding Machines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for conveyingand elevating the grain as it is cut by reaping and binding machines. Ido not use the ordinary canvas belts; but in their place I employ aseries of metal rakes, which are connected to endless chains,thelatterbeihg so arranged and driven as to carry the rakes continuouslyaround fixed rigid platforms (usually one horizontal and one inclined)leading to the point where the cut grain is to be delivered. The saidrakes have teeth which project a suitable height above the upper surfaceof the platforms, and thereby carry or push the cut grain forward. 4 Thenovelties of this invention are comprised in the construction of therakes and thej'platform and will be understood from .what follows,reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a plan view of. parts of 'a platform with myinventionattached. 'Fig'. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the lineX X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is also a longitudinal section, on an enlargedscale, taken 'on the line 3 3 in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 is a transversesection taken on the line 4 4: in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a plan of oneend of the conveyor with the upper platform removed.

In the figures portions are broken out and away to more clearly showother portions, and the rakes are shown in different positions. Onlythree teeth are shown to each rake, although in reality the number ofteeth would be much larger, and any number of rakes may in practice be,used, the closer they are to one another the less weight of grainhaving{ to be sustained proportionately by each ra e.

The invention will be understood from the drawings, which show simply ahorizontal platform. The inclined platform and its elevating rakes wouldbe similar to that shown;

but the rakes of the inclined platform would move the grain upward fromthe point where the rakes of the horizontal platform delivered it.Assuming now that a grain-cutting device is at the side Y of theplatform in Fig. 1, the grain will then be deposited on the platform inthe usual manner. The platform is composed of any number of parallelstrips A A, between which are slots, as B, the center slot being markedB. There is at each side an endless chain G, passing over sprocketwheelsH and driven continuously by any suitable means (as a chain operating asprocket- :wheel I) all the time the reaping or cutting device at Y isat work. These chains are connected at intervals by the cross bars orheads D of rakes, as shown, and the teeth of these rakes are marked E,each of the latter being in the line of one of the slots B B, so as toproject through the same when the teeth are being carried along theupper surface of the platform. The central tooth is marked E. Eachrake-bar D is held down between the platform-strips A A, which lie aboveit and any suitable guide-plates A parallel to and below some of saidstrips, as A. There may be, if desired, a larger number of guide-platesAbut I merely show two, (one at each side.) To each rake crossbar D isalso attached two or more slideblocks D,- and these are adapted toclosely fit the channels between the upper strips A and lower plates AThe rake-teeth are thereby held upright, or substantially so, duringwork and cannot be depressed when at the upper side of the platform, andconsequently they cannot fail to carry forward the out grain which isdropped in their path. The teeth assume the aforesaid position becausethey are at right angles, more or less, to the blocks D and becausethese blocks are kept horizontal so long as they are in the channelsbetween the strips A and plates A The device I use for causing therake-teeth to be turned down at one end of the platform and up theother, so that 'the rakes will follow the course of the arrows in Figs.1 and 2, is'as follows: The teeth will be drawn down naturally as thechains are carried around by the sprocket-wheels as soon as the blocks Dcan escape from the channels between the upper strips A and guide-plateN. In descending the teeth will also turn to some 6X1 tent. As shown,however, in the drawings, I make each lower plate terminate at A thatis, the channels end just at the point where the sprocket-wheels tend tocause the blocks D to begin to take a circular path. When the blocksleave the guide-plate A they will strike the shaft L of thesprocketwheels H, which will cause the teeth E and E to swing around, asshown, by the dotted lines at e in Fig. 3, the bottom N of the framebeing slotted, as at n, to allow the teeth to pass through as the blocksD pass around the shaft L. The rake-teeth when under the platform willthen take the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, approximately, beingretained in such position either by the weight of the teeth themselvesor, if desirable, by a strip of metal fixed at a suitable distance underthe slot B and parallel thereto and secured to the framing K,said stripbeing shown by dotted lines at M in Fig. 1 only, and thus keeping theteeth E from rising. To cause the teeth to again take a circular pathprior to entering the slots B B, I also make the lower guide-platesshort at the other end A 7;. c., shorter than the upper strips. Thesprocket-wheels H at this end are mounted upon short stud-shafts L, thusleaving the central part open, so that the blocks D can pass through. Acurved tongue F is secured to the framing K in position to extend intothe path of the central teeth E, as shown in Fig. 5, and as the blocks Dpass around the sprocket-wheel H the central teeth will strike therounded end f of the tongue F, causing them to assume the position shownby dotted lines at e in Fig. 3, the bottom N being slotted at n" toallow the teeth to swing around. This movement will turn the blocks Ddownwardly in position to strike the ends A of the strips A", as shownat d in Fig. 3, and further movement of the chain G will bring the teethto the position shown at 6 On the left edge of Fig. 2 the rake is shownsomewhat further in advance of the position seen in Fig. 1,and thecentral tooth E, which is hiddenby the side tooth, (marked E,) hasceased to drag against the tongue F and has commenced to swing away fromF toward its vertical position, as shown by an arrow. The tongue Fprojects, it will be seen, a greater distance toward its end of theplatform than do the ends A. K shows various parts of the framing of theplatform, and L is the axle of sprocket-wheels H. Only one set of thesewheels is shown with an axle; but in such details as this anyarrangement may be adopted which is found to be mechanically suitable.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is-

1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with theframe, provided with a platform and guides beneath said platform,sprocket-wheels mounted near the ends of said frame, endless chainspassing over said sprocket-wheels, rods connecting said chains andcarrying a plurality of teeth, and slide-blocks on said rods slidingbetween the said platform and guides; of a tongue secured to the frameand extending into the path of the teeth, engaging the latter andturning the slide-blocks into proper position to engage the said guides;substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with theframe provided with aplatform and guide tracks beneath said platform; ofsprocket wheels mounted upon a shaft at one end of the frame, andsprocket-wheels mounted on stud-shafts in the other end of the frame,endless chains passing over said sprocket-wheels, rods runningtransversely of said frame and connecting said chains, a plurality ofteeth carried by said rods, slide-blocks secured near the ends of thesaid rods at right angles to the said teeth, and sliding between thesaid guides and said platform, a tongue secured to the frame andextending into the path of the central teeth, and engaging the latterand turning the slide-blocks into proper position to engage the saidguides, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS HANRAI-IAN.

Witnesses:

E. F. NICHOLLS, W. H. CUBLEY.

